Deputies from the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office will be on-hand at two prescription medication collection sites from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, 2019.

The officers will assist the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Takeback Initiative, which asks people to drop off expired, or unwanted prescription medications, no questions asked, at the District Office of Council President Darrell Clarke (2815 Ridge Avenue) and at the 18th Street Apothecary Pharmacy (113 S. 18th Street.).

Proper disposal helps to avoid misuse, abuse and overdoses of these drugs often stored in home medicine cabinets. They are a leading cause of accidental poisoning for children and may also be harmful for adults. Flushed or trashed medications can end up polluting our waters. Any medications collected will be safely disposed of or destroyed by the DEA.

By action taken by City Council, certain fees imposed by the Sheriff’s Office will increase on May 1, 2017. These fees have not been modified since 1997 and are designed to reflect the current cost of services provided by the Sheriff’s Office.

Please don’t keep an unlocked gun where children can find it and accidently shoot it. Carelessness like that results in death caused by a child at least once every other day in the United States. Last year one four-year-old found a gun that slid from under the seat of the car his mother was driving. It was loaded and he shot and killed her.

So think about protecting your loved ones….and pick up a free gun lock at Sheriff Jewell Williams’ Office in the Land Title Building, 100 S. Broad Street – 5th Floor. No questions asked!

The majority of unintentional shooting deaths involve children playing with a loaded, unlocked gun in the home.

November is Child Safety & Prevention Month. Every day we adults are responsible for the safety of our children.

In August City Council President Darrell Clarke and I kicked off the Got a Gun – Get a Lock initiative to encourage every gun owner that has children living with them to make sure that guns are securely locked up.

I encourage you to check out the above video and if you have a gun at home please stop by my office at the Land Title Building at 100 S. Broad Street on the 5th Floor and pick up a free gun lock. No questions asked.

Sheriff Jewell Williams and Philadelphia City Council President Darell L. Clarke have been promoting the use of gun locks over the past several weeks as part of their joint gun lock safety initiative, #GotAGunGetALock, to help avoid tragedies like this:

Two-year-old Benjamin Smith told his father he was going to watch Winnie the Pooh. He went into a bedroom to turn on the TV. A few minutes passed.

Then, a bang.

The boy, police said, picked up a .45 caliber handgun that his father kept loaded on a nightstand and accidentally shot himself. He died just before midnight Sept. 12.

On Wednesday, the father, Nicholas Wyllie, 26, of Quakertown, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, and recklessly endangering another person. He was arraigned at District Court in Perkasie.

"This is a terribly tragic death, and the worst part about it is it was 100 percent avoidable," Bucks County District Attorney Matthew D. Weintraub said outside the courtroom.

The compelling theme of “Got a gun? Get a lock” is resonating with many people who are requesting gun locks—no questions asked—from the Office of the Sheriff of Philadelphia City & County.

“It’s great that we are getting this kind of response,” said Sheriff Jewell Williams. “The number one reason we have joined with City Council President Darrell Clarke and the District Attorney’s office is to get ANY gun in a household securely locked for safety reasons”.

Since the gun lock campaign kicked off at Temple University earlier this month, there have been several events, including a peace march in conjunction with Deliverance Evangelistic Church at 23rd & Lehigh Avenue, in which the sheriff and other elected officials literally handed out gun locks themselves.”

“It’s important that the people see leadership in a leadership role,” said Councilman Clarke recently on the “The Roundup,” the monthly radio show hosted by Sheriff Williams on WURD.

To receive a gun lock, you can either pick one up at the front desk of the sheriff’s office on the 5th Floor of 100 S. Broad street between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., or call our hotline number at 215-686-3572. Leave your name, number and address and someone from the sheriff’s office will quickly be in touch with you.

“We transport more than 500 people per day back and forth between the courts and the prisons,” said Sheriff Williams, “and many are charged with crimes involving guns. Before anger gets to a point of reaching for a gun, if that gun is in a lock, it provides at least a few seconds for an individual to change their mind about firing that weapon, and makes it almost impossible to fire if found, and handled by a child. Got a gun—get a lock”.

A bill was recently enacted by City Council entitled the “Responsibility to Avoid Possession and Discharge of Firearms by Children” act (introduced by Council President Clarke) that requires all firearms in homes with children under the age of 18 to be kept unloaded and stored in a locked container, with the ammunition in a separate locked container. The exception would be when the firearm or ammunition is in the "immediate control" of a person with a license to carry a gun.

Sheriff Jewell Williams joined Deputy Sheriff Officer Dante Austin and Human Resources Clerk John Hodges for a recent celebration of LGBT Pride Month during a parade from 13th and Locust Streets to Penns Landing.

Sheriff Jewell Williams attends first City Council meeting of 2016 called to order by City Council President Darrell Clarke. Deputies from the Office of the Philadelphia Sheriff are on duty guarding all attending the Council meetings.